Cloud Cover Solar Panel Efficiency

Yet when the sun shines through the clouds solar panels still get direct sunlight plus light reflected from the clouds.

Cloud cover solar panel efficiency.

The effects of clouds on a solar panel can be unexpectedly great. These images provide information about the level of cloud cover in a particular region. In a city with extreme summer heat solar is a little less efficient which is part of the reason why solar panels in cloudy san francisco can actually produce more power over a year than the slightly sunnier hotter city of sacramento. Indeed on 7th of august 2015 the maximum power was completely below 25 of the rated power 25 w.

For that same reason solar panels can still produce electricity on cloudy days. An additional valuable source of solar radiation data is the determination of solar radiation from satellite images. According to the data collected as cloud cover increases the power production efficiency decreases for all types of solar panel mounting. Information in relation to cloud cover levels is used to provide estimates of the solar insolation at a specific location.

This does not shut down power production however. How the edge of cloud effect can produce more solar power than a sunny day. A silver lining to that cloud. It just reduces the output of energy.

So there is no doubt that during thick cloud cover you lose a lot of efficiency. Solar power production efficiency. The amount of direct sunlight is reduced by fog and clouds but solar panels function better at cooler temperatures so the electricity output in san francisco is still significant. Figure 4 shows different profiles of the pv module recorded in cloudy days for the months of may june july and august.

If there is enough light to cast a shadow in spite of the clouds your solar panels should operate at about half of their full capacity. Incredibly your solar panels will put out their supreme amount of peak power during cloudy weather. Eventually with heavy cloud cover solar panels will produce very little useful power. There is some debate about exactly how much efficiency is lost but low thick cloud cover could take solar panels to a quarter of their normal efficiency.

If there is sufficient light to cast a shadow in spite of the clouds your solar panels need to operate at about half of their complete capacity. The thing is when clouds cover the sun the solar system doesn t stop working producing power. Fortunately sunpower solar panels with a record breaking efficiency of more than 22 percent highest efficiency panels commercially available 1 use cells with a unique one of a kind design that capture a broader range of the sun s light. The clouds impacts are more pronounced in august and july.

Eventually with heavy cloud cover solar panels will produce really little useful power. During those peak sunlight hours your solar panels will produce power at their maximum capacity. Thicker cloud cover will reduce operations further. The thicker the clouds the less power the system will produce.

But depending on the cloud cover and the quality of the solar panels efficiency can drop to anywhere from 10 to 25 percent of the energy output seen on a sunny day.